Outdoors in Tower Hamlets · parks, paths & countryside
Tower Hamlets has more footpath per square kilometre than 10 in 10 UK towns
537 km of footpaths run through the borough and the kilometre around it, 10.5 for every square kilometre. 98% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Parks and playing fields in Tower Hamlets add up to 0.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Tower Hamlets grades B− for the outdoors: #20 of 33 in London. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Tower Hamlets’ strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Tower Hamlets grades B− for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Tower Hamlets, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B−
Better than 53% of UK towns#20 of 33 in London · 24th of 39 UK boroughs its size
Public green space0.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
9out of 100
A park within a walk98%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
78out of 100
National Park or National Landscape0%of the land within 5 km · None within 5 km
31out of 100
Footpaths10.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
100out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland: 3.8% sea, under the 5% that counts
42out of 100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Boroughs its size
Tower Hamlets is 24th of 39 UK boroughs its size for the outdoors
The 39 UK towns and cities of 218,000 to 420,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Tower Hamlets10.5
Boroughs its size4.6
London towns5.7
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Tower Hamlets0.8
Boroughs its size2.0
London towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Tower Hamlets98%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
Against boroughs its size, Tower Hamlets stands out most for path per km²: none of the other 38 has more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 38 of the others do better.
The biggest is Victoria Park, 87 ha (214 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 250 ha (618 acres) and 63 km of path
Parks & gardens 237 haPlaying fields 13 ha
The two biggest, Victoria Park and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, are 46% of the named green space and carry 19 km of path between them. 9 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Tower Hamlets’ biggestHistoric park · Grade II*
Victoria Park
Park or garden
87 ha (214 acres)15.1 km of path
3 h 20 minto walk all 15.1 km of path
121 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi northfrom the centre
2 playgrounds Bonner Hall Bridge, Regent's Canal monument +5 listed
Almost everyone in Tower Hamlets lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (98%)Further (2%)
Tower Hamlets98%
Boroughs its size83%
London towns85%
All UK towns83%
About 5,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 804 playgrounds are mapped in and around the borough, about one for every 387 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
The Kent Downs National Landscape is 11 mi away
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
33 waymarked walks pass through or near Tower Hamlets
537 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Tower Hamlets and the kilometre around it, 10.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the borough.
NationalRegionalLocalOther waymarked
Thames Path18.6 km
Greenwich Meridian Trail14.6 km
London to Walsingham - stage 0112.6 km
Thames Path - northern bank12.5 km
Jubilee Greenway (section 7)9.5 km
Jubilee Greenway (section 6)6.1 km
Green Link Walk (Section 2)6.0 km
Jubilee Greenway (section 3)5.7 km
Jubilee Greenway (section 4)5.6 km
Jubilee Walkway (Eastern Loop)5.6 km
The Barbican Highwalks4.8 km
Jubilee Walkway (Camden Loop)4.8 km
Jubilee Walkway (Western Loop)4.7 km
Southwark Cathedral to Otford4.5 km
Lea Valley Walk4.5 km
Green Link Walk (Section 4)4.5 km
Plus 17 more waymarked walks on the map.
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Tower Hamlets. Close to home, the London to Walsingham - stage 01 has 13 km of local walk within 2 km of the borough. 21 regional routes pass through, including the Greenwich Meridian Trail, Thames Path - northern bank, Jubilee Greenway (section 7) and Jubilee Greenway (section 6).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
5 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Tower Hamlets’ named parks.
Registered park · Grade II*
Victoria Park
87 ha. A registered historic park (Grade II*). 6 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Bonner Hall Bridge, Regent's Canal (a scheduled monument).
SMBonner Hall Bridge, Regent's CanalIIGate Piers at Bonner Hall (Between Park and Sewardstone Road)IILock CottageIILock Cottages, Top Lock at Tq 3673 8399IILodge at Crown Gate WestIIStable Block to North West of Lock Cottage
Registered · Grade IIArnold Circus, Bethnal Green0.3 ha
Registered · Grade IIBethnal Green Gardens1.2 haInside: Four Lamp Standards and 10 more
Registered · Grade IIIsland Gardens0.4 ha
Registered · Grade IIThe Novo Cemetery0.4 ha
Listed buildings insideTower Hamlets Cemetery ParkBoundary Wall to Tower Hamlets Cemetery, Boundary Wall, Gates and Gate Piers to Tower Hamlets Cemetery and Tomb of Ellen Llewellyn and 6 more
Listed buildings insidePoplar Recreation GroundWar memorial to the children of Upper North Street School, Tomb of Captain Samuel Jones and Family, St Mattias and Tomb of John Smart, St Mattias
Listed buildings insideStepney Church YardGate Piers and Overthrow at Lady Mico's Almshouses, Iron Railings, Gate Piers and Gates at St Dunstan's Churchyard and Stepney War Memorial
Heritage walks
Southwark Cathedral to Otford 4.5 km Heritage Trail 1.5 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Tower Hamlets: April to September
The borough’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
8.3
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.6
16.6
16.2
14.6
12.6
10.5
8.8
7.8
High (°C)
9
9
12
15
19
22
24
24
20
16
12
9
Rain (mm)
57
43
37
42
46
50
48
59
49
66
63
58
March is the driest month (37 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 66 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 21 nights a year. The climate in Tower Hamlets →
The coast
Beaches near Tower Hamlets
4% of the area within 5 km of Tower Hamlets is sea, so the Outdoors Grade counts it as inland. 16 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
37 viewpoints and 804 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the borough in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK borough its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
City of London, 2.3 miles away, grades A−, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. City of London has at least twice Tower Hamlets’ green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Tower Hamlets
What is the biggest park in Tower Hamlets?
Victoria Park, 87 ha (214 acres), with 15.1 km of path. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (28 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the borough or within 400 m of it.
Is Tower Hamlets near a National Park?
The nearest protected landscape is the Kent Downs National Landscape, 11 mi south-east of the borough’s edge. It covers 879 km² and was designated in 1968.
What are the best walks near Tower Hamlets?
33 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the borough, including the Thames Path, Greenwich Meridian Trail and London to Walsingham - stage 01. Victoria Park alone has 15.1 km of path.
How many people in Tower Hamlets live near a park?
98% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Tower Hamlets?
April to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Tower Hamlets are historic?
Arnold Circus, Bethnal Green (Grade II), Bethnal Green Gardens (Grade II), Island Gardens (Grade II) and The Novo Cemetery (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Tower Hamlets good for walking?
For paths, yes: 10.5 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 100% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 9% (0.8 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Tower Hamlets’ overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Stefan Czapski · CC BY-SA 2.0